As Clear As Day
by GranthamGal
Summary: Oneshot series set in the "Only If For A Night" modernAU world.
1. Chapter 1

The buzzing of his mobile phone startled him out of a daze, causing him to shift around a mountain of paperwork on his desk yet again. It was the fifth time that afternoon, which only made him even more unnerved at the prospect of checking his messages.

_[14:09] Have you checked your email? I sent several links for you to peruse. Xo_

_[14:53] Darling, can we get takeout from that place on the corner for dinner? The café—I think it's called 'Daisy's'…let me know. It's the one with the apple charlotte. XO_

_[15:32] Remember the paint chips I showed you this morning? How about 'cream silk' for the room? Also- did you get my text about dinner? Super hungry! Xoxoxo_

_[16:04] Robert! _

_[16:05] …did you get my text about dinner?_

He ran a hand through his hair, sighing deeply, and slipping the phone back into his pocket. If he answered her now it would only mean a string of messages in response; that would mean getting home late, and not finishing the stack of paperwork his mother had so helpfully left littered across his workspace. Looking back to his desk, though, his attention was quickly pulled from his work as he noticed the framed picture of him and his wife resting atop the surface. It was taken at their wedding—the memory enough to pull a smile across his features—and she looked so utterly radiant, the sunset and ocean a perfect backdrop to highlight her delicate features. Picking up the frame to inspect it further, he grinned, shaking his head before setting it back down. One more hour of work and then he could head home to his lovely wife.

He hadn't entirely counted on the paperwork taking slightly more than an hour, and certainly had not expected it to take over two. So when he opened their front door with more than slight trepidation, just past seven, he was rather surprised to hear absolutely nothing in response.

Usually when he worked late, Cora was in the sitting room just off the foyer to meet him, along with raised eyebrows and sharp words to chastise him. Tonight, though, the sitting room was dark and all the blankets on the settee were neatly folded. Frowning, he dropped his briefcase by the door and wandered into the kitchen, which was also dark, save for a few lights they always left on.

"Cora?" He called out, somewhat randomly, now wondering if his wife was even home at all. There was no note on the fridge, however, which she almost definitely would have left had she gone out—even if she were annoyed with him. Swallowing a slight pang of concern, Robert reached up to loosen his tie and then walked quickly to the bedroom, where, to his utter relief, he found his wife fast asleep atop their bed.

The room was an utter mess. Parcels from Zara, Dragons of Walton Street and JoJo Maman were scattered haphazardly around the floor, and the bed was covered in various magazines and paint color samples. Cora was perched in the middle of the bed, wrapped in several throw blankets, with a particularly large magazine unfolded over her stomach.

As quietly as he could manage, Robert crossed the room and sat on his side of the bed, leaning over to kiss his wife's cheek. When she didn't stir, he leaned just a bit more and pressed a soft kiss to her lips as well.

That had the desired effect and just a moment later, Cora stirred. "Hello, darling," she said softly, looking up at him with a gentle smile. Then, as though she suddenly remembered where she was, her brow furrowed. "You're late."

Robert did the only thing possible in such a situation. Grinning sheepishly, he leaned forward and kissed her once more before she could protest. Shrugging off his jacket and kicking off both shoes, he sat beside her, explaining, "Mama left me a mountain of work to get through; I left the office as soon as I possibly could. With the new hotel opening it seems like every day brings even more work my way, no matter how many new employees we hire."

"Robert, I didn't ask for an explanation," she laughed, sitting up and moving the papers strewn around the bed, "I was simply pointing out the fact. But we've been married for two years now and you've only been home before seven a handful of times, so I don't find it particularly upsetting anymore." She grinned again, so he would know she was teasing, and adjusted the pillows behind her back.

He was about to speak again—well, really, he was about to kiss her once more—when she fixed her gaze on him again, this time frowning more deeply.

"Robert?"

He paused. Lately conversations with Cora were more dangerous than navigating a field of landmines. "…Yes, darling?"

"Where is our dinner?"

Her deep frown and raised eyebrow suggested it was more than a slight issue that there were no plates to be seen on any surface in the room. And then, with utter fear clutching his heart, he remembered the text messages. Staring at her blankly, though, he asked dumbly, "our dinner?"

He thought smoke might begin pouring out her ears at his response, and she carefully moved the blankets off herself before standing, and putting both hands on her hips. "Our dinner." She answered simply. "The dinner I instructed you to pick up."

He nodded—dumbly, again—and removed himself from the bed as well, thankful that the large king sized mattress stood between them. "Darling, I don't remember getting any instruction about dinner, and my phone died this afternoon," he lied. "But, I would be glad to go make something—" he began moving toward the door, a hugely false smile plastered across his face as her expression only soured.

"We have no groceries," she replied helpfully.

This time, before catching himself, Robert frowned. "But you were supposed to go shopping while I was at work."

She raised her brow higher than he thought possible. "I was _supposed to _go shopping? I apologize, Robert. I did not realize I had an assigned list of duties."

"No…no—I only meant—" Robert struggled for words, still backing away in the direction of the door.

"—You only meant what?" Cora cried out, throwing her hands in the air. "Obviously you think I don't take care of the house as well as I should. But I'm sorry, Robert. I had errands to run and by the time I got home it was just too late for me to go out again."

Robert nodded quickly in agreement. "Of course, sweetheart. Of course. I'll just call for take out now," he replied with a smile.

"I thought your phone had died."

He winced, nearly dropping the offending device onto the floor. "Yes, it has. I was just going to plug it in, and then go call from the landline in the kitchen." And, suiting actions to words, he took a few clumsy steps over to the bedside table to plug his phone in before smiling widely once more and practically running out of the room.

The kitchen was still dark when he returned, so Robert switched a light before reaching for the phonebook in the drawer closest to the phone. Flipping through, he settled on pizza before making the quick call.

After replacing the phone, he leaned back on the counter, exhaling deeply. It had been another long day. Since Bates had taken a temporary leave of absence to work on a project in New York, development on some television show—Prison Break—or something, the work that passed directly to him was overwhelming. And his mother rarely let up, even given the circumstances. But he didn't blame Cora; he couldn't blame her. It had been his idea, after all. Not that she had not been utterly excited by the idea as well. Their lives just needed to shift a bit, he kept telling himself. They would make it work; they could make anything work.

And, then, as though she could hear his thoughts all the way from the bedroom, Cora wandered bashfully into the kitchen, wearing a contrite expression. Her hair was down now, leaving the thick chestnut curls to cascade down her back, and she wore his pajama set—the only thing she seemed comfortable in lately. Padding over to him, she wrapped her arms around his middle, from behind, and stood up on her toes to kiss his neck, murmuring, "I'm sorry," as she held him close.

Robert grinned despite himself and moved to turn her around until they faced one another. No matter how they argued, he found there was nothing of greater comfort than having his wife securely in his arms. It made the trials of the day seem the furthest things from his mind. And moments like these made him utterly grateful for the life they shared. "It's alright, my darling," he answered. Then, with a boyish grin, added, "and the pizza is on its way."

"Pizza?" Her eyes lit up with excitement and she kissed his cheek enthusiastically. "I am sorry, though, for the way I spoke to you, darling," she averted her gaze. "Lately I don't realize it. And—" she pressed both hands to her swollen stomach "—Baby Crawley was very hungry."

Robert chuckled, smiling so wide his mouth actually hurt with the effort. "You and Baby Crawley are forgiven, sweetheart." Leaning down, he kissed her forehead and cupped her face tenderly, before kneeling down much lower and mimicking the actions, cupping both hands to her stomach and pressing several kisses to the protruding bump. "Baby Crawley can have whatever it wants," he replied, his voice muffled against the fabric of her nightshirt.

Cora only hummed in agreement and reached down one hand to run lazily through her husband's hair. He looked so sweet, and so terribly pleased. She hated herself for getting so cross with him; he worked all day and then often came home to find her in the middle of another mood swing. Sometimes she felt crazy, as though she could no longer control her own body.

Just the other day she had told him to leave after he left a pile of laundry on top of the machine and then—less than an hour later—finished off the pint of Ben and Jerry's that she had specifically marked "for Baby Crawley." Admittedly, she had shouted a bit extremely. And she had felt terribly that time, too. Particularly so after he returned from exile that afternoon with five pints of ice cream and a bunch of half-deflated balloons from the corner store.

Several times, very late at night, he'd hold her close and ask if she was happy, as though he needed confirmation. She worried that he felt responsible for the changes in her mood and her body, though it was a laughable responsibility to take hold of. Yes, perhaps Robert had been the one to ask about children first, but she would have been lying through her teeth to say she'd not already spent a year dreaming about toddlers with her eyes and Robert's strong chin.

And now, as she looked down at him still talking to her bump, she thought her chest might explode with happiness.

After letting him go on for another few minutes, telling the baby about his day with complete sincerity, she carefully removed his hands and bent down as well, kissing him sweetly. "Darling, perhaps we can regale the baby with your riveting stories in the sitting room? My feet are starting to hurt and the pizza will be here soon."

Nodding in agreement, Robert set about getting some plates, napkins, and the pitcher of filtered water before following his wife back down the hall to the front room. Cora wasted no time getting comfortable; she was reclined on the sofa with a blanket wrapped around her before Robert so much as set the plates down.

Chuckling lightly, he sat beside her and asked, "darling, what ever will you do when the baby is born in a few months and I won't be playing servant anymore?"

Cora only rolled her eyes playfully, settling one hand on her stomach. "That's true. You won't be _my _servant; you'll be _our _servant." And then, her laugh interrupted by a surprised gasp, she reached to grab his hand, pressing it right to her belly. "Apparently the baby agrees," she explained, watching raptly as his face lit up at the movement.

"Well, if the baby agrees, who am I to complain?" Robert asked, his large palm still resting over her stomach.

He could still remember the exact moment he felt the baby for the first time. They were in the kitchen, as Cora often was these days, arguing over which tea to brew that morning. When Cora shrieked—seemingly out of nowhere—it had nearly given him a heart attack. But the look on her face in that moment, the look of utter joy, of utter excitement for the future, would be etched in his memory forever. As would the gentle _thump-thump _against his palm that morning.

Now the feeling was even stronger. It sometimes frightened him, in an exhilarating sort of way, to realize that he would be a parent in less than four months, and that come the same time next year there would be a baby crawling around the house. In those moments of realization he usually hopped up, running to make a note to _"call about baby-proofing the house" _or some such matter. But this particular night he was content to cuddle with his wife on the sofa and enjoy their pizza.

And later that night, as they lay in bed and Robert held Cora close, dancing his fingers over her abdomen and kissing her neck gently, he thought he might be the absolute luckiest man in the entire world.

In those quiet moments everything else melted away; work, his mother, every little stressor that poked into their lives seemed insignificant in those moments. When it was only he, Cora, and their Baby Crawley, gentle whispers and soft touches as they spooned lazily in bed were more than enough. He was grateful, so very grateful, for his wife, their little family, and each and every day and night to come.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: This prompt comes from cobertfan1 (thank you!). **_

_**For the first time since their wedding, Cora has to fly back to America for an urgent family or business matter. Robert is unable to accompany her, leaving him home alone. Robert does not cope well to being a bachelor for a week and decides that whatever matter is keeping him in London isn't worth it. He decides to fly to America, sneaking into Cora's hotel room in the middle of the night to surprise her**_

* * *

He understood, logically at least, why she insisted he stay behind. He should have been glad that his new wife understood the demands of his job; she, too, had grown up in an intensely business-oriented world and so it was not of particular surprise to her that he could not just pick up and take a few weeks off to fly to America. She had assured him that it would be fine—she would be fine—and that she did not mind going away on her own for a few weeks.

She had to go, after all. Her brother, her darling brother who had not managed to take any time off for their wedding three months prior, had managed to get himself into yet another messy situation. All he really knew, since the information filtered through Martha Levinson was slightly less than reliable, was that her brother had a minor skiing accident after a boozy midnight jaunt down the slopes. And so after two harried phone calls, Cora ascertained that the situation was more serious than not and that her presence was likely required. She'd rolled her eyes at Harold's stupidity, but he could tell she was worried.

It didn't make it any easier, though, to watch her leave. He'd driven her to Heathrow and walked her to the security gate, pouting every step of the way. She'd told him "not to act like a child just because it suited him," and then grinned before kissing him soundly on the lips. It hadn't been enough; watching her disappear behind the security walls was torturous at best, and when he returned home to their empty townhouse, it was utterly awful.

He hadn't thought it through, not really at least. The first two nights alone were rather a blur of television and beer. He'd grown so used to Cora's presence in bed that sleep without her there was impossible, so he'd tried to distract himself. But he'd grown completely obsessed with checking his phone, wanting to spend every free minute speaking to her, emailing her and checking in. Distracting himself by talking to his wife was not the best solution to his problem.

On the third day of her absence, he was dismissed from an afternoon meeting for texting—his mother having caught him for the second time that day. He supposed it was better to take the punishment from his irate mother than to explain that he had been texting suggestive messages to his wife, who was just as lonely as he. And going back to their still-empty home only grew more and more depressing as the hours and days ticked by. He ignored invitations for dinner from his sister and offers to meet at the pub from his friends; all he wanted was Cora. All his mind could focus on was Cora.

Which is why, on the fourth day, he found himself parking the car at Heathrow once more and hurriedly running in to catch a flight to New York.

* * *

Robert hated flying.

Though he'd grinned at the memory of his last flight—which had of course been exponentially better with Cora's presence—as soon as they took off toward America, he'd felt incredibly anxious. Four whiskeys interspersed throughout the flight did little to calm his frayed nerves, already on overdrive at the prospect of seeing his wife.

And so by the time they touched down at JFK, he was perhaps a bit less sober than he normally was. But luckily Elsie from the office had the forethought to book him a car to Cora's hotel when he asked her to arrange the booking. So, finding the man in the car line-up holding the sign labeled "Crawley" was not of particular difficulty. What was of more difficulty, though, was explaining to the hotel front desk that he was not actually on the booking and, yes, he was Cora Levinson's husband. He did manage to refrain from cursing his mother-in-law aloud for booking a room for Cora under her maiden name, but by the time he showed two forms of ID and made a call to "The Queen of Sheeba" herself to prove his identity and be shown to his wife's room, he was less than sober and less than amused by the entire situation.

But none of that mattered when the door clicked open and he spotted Cora reclined on the large hotel bed, the lights dim, but still bright enough so that she could read. And the expression on her face, a mixture of shock and elation, made everything else seem to melt away.

"—Robert?" Cora scarcely had time to breathe out his name in surprise before she launched herself off the bed and into his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist as she jumped up to greet him.

"Darling," he murmured against her neck, breathing deeply and feeling instantly more relaxed by the familiar smell of her shampoo and perfume. He felt, for the first time since she'd gone, like himself again.

After a few—well, more than a few—kisses, and once they were seated on the edge of the bed, Cora still clinging closely to him, she managed the more logical question of, "what are you doing here, darling?" Her voice was soft, and so very happy, as she reached up to run her hand over his cheek.

He shrugged playfully and batted his eyelashes. "I missed you," was the simplest and more truthful answer he could give. And, judging by her response, the answer that most pleased his wife.

Cora's eyes flashed with what he was almost certain to be mischief, though his fuzzy head—affected by lack of sleep and liquor—was not helpful in ascertaining such things. But she grinned at him, her fingers dancing over his shirt buttons as she replied, "you did?" and then applied her lips to his neck, humming with pleasure against his skin when he shifted to take her into his arms, pushing them both forward until her back hit the plush mattress.

The weight of her husband above her made her feel entirely safe, rooted to the place where just the two of them existed. She could tell he was a little tipsy by the way his fingers clumsily attempted to remove her blouse, fumbling over the tiny buttons running up the front. But the smell of his cologne, his nearness, the simple fact that he was actually there, had actually flown all the way to be with her, all conspired to make her less patient than usual. So, removing his hands and smiling indulgently at the instant pout her action produced, Cora deftly removed the last few buttons from their clasps and peeled off the shirt before taking care of Robert's sweater, leaving them both in a heap on the floor.

"How much?" she murmured, her lips drawing away from his mouth and down to his chest, teeth grazing his nipple so lightly he shivered in response.

Robert only frowned, lifting his head from where it had settled onto the pillows beneath them. "How…much?" He closed his eyes when she brought her hand up and her nails ran lightly over his other nipple, circling at a torturously slow pace.

"Yes," Cora purred, teeth meeting skin again, "how much did you miss me?"

He would have answered. He would have happily shouted from the rooftop of the hotel how much he had missed her—not to mention how much he'd missed _this—_but the swiftness with which Cora removed his belt and the clasp to his trousers caught him rather off guard, and when her hand slipped beneath the fabric of his pants, stroking lightly over him, he was regrettably unable to form any more sentences.

"I missed—"

"Ah—"

"Ahh…ahh—"

Unintelligible sounds were all he was reduced to, as Cora's hand stroked intently over him, having removed his trousers and pants and leaving them to join the pile on the floor. She grinned desirously up at him, after several long minutes of sweet agony, releasing him from her hold so that she could wrap her arms around him neck and pull him closer, kissing him passionately as he settled between her legs.

"Now," he finally answered, "as I was saying, I missed you terribly much, darling."

She would have thought him completely sentimental if not for the wicked grin playing at his features, and his hands already toying with the closure to her trousers. Though it still took him a few tries, he managed to have them unhooked and flung across the room with remarkable speed, leaving them both in similar states of undress as he began to kiss his way down her body.

Cora's skin pebbled as his lips pressed to her clavicle, her breasts, in turn, and then her belly. She was more vocal, her back arching up to meet his touch, panting with effort, when his fingers and lips converged at the juncture between her legs.

The sound of Cora's groans, breathy sighs of delight and the way her body moved beneath his touch was enough to make Robert lose his own head, but he focused on bringing his wife pleasure, gratified by the way her body shuddered, finally, tightening around his fingers, and then the soft way she nearly purred, "Robert, darling, please."

She gasped again, this time her voice mixed with Robert's own throaty moan of delight, when he pushed into her, his hands resting at her sides and her legs wrapped around his waist. Cora's hands came to lay at either side of his face, pulling him close to kiss him as he began to move, slowly at first but then with increasing speed as they both approached release. They quickly found a rhythm and

moved in tandem, kisses and touches bringing waves of pleasure over them both. His hand grasping her breast, fingers dancing over a nipple, her nails scraping up and down his back, the heady pleasure of their coupling was enough to intoxicate them both.

It was Robert who groaned loudly, finally, moving his hips faster for a moment before thrusting a final time with his release. Cora followed a moment later after he brought a hand to where they joined, urging her over the edge as well.

Collapsing back onto the mussed bed sheets, Robert drew Cora into his arms and peppered her face with kisses, hoping that each would relay how much he loved her and how very glad he was to be with her. Her body, limp with the effort of their exertions, felt boneless and pliant beside him, but the warm weight beside him was of more comfort than she could know. She only smiled up at him when he murmured her name, running his fingers through her tangled curls.

Silently confirming what he already knew—that she, too, was so very glad to have him there, she tilted her head up to kiss him once more and ran her nails lazily over his perspiring chest. He felt strong and solid beside her, and for the first time in days Cora felt like she could sleep as she lay her head on his shoulder. And very soon she did, both she and Robert utterly exhausted and sated as they slept with limbs entwined and hearts finally back under the same roof.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you, Cobertfan1, for the awesome prompt!

**Grantham Properties is in financial distress and Cora comes in to help assess the damage and find solutions. Robert realizes, during Cora's time working in his office, how extremely sexy in charge business/office Cora is and can't seem to focus on anything.**

* * *

Cora strode into the office with a briefcase slung over her shoulder and baby Mary seated happily in the carrier strapped to her chest. She wore a purposeful expression, along with a dark colored skirt and blouse, but smiled happily at her husband as she entered his office. The desk was a mess of papers, empty Starbucks cups and various other items cluttered around him. He looked unshaven, having not had a proper shower in at least two days, and rather exhausted at that.

Raising an eyebrow as she requested the room, waiting until his two assistants removed themselves, he asked, "Cora, darling, what are you two doing here?" as he stood and crossed the room to greet her and his baby daughter.

"I've come to take over for the duration of the tax preparation," she explained simply, and as though the answer was an obvious one. And then, glancing once more at the desk, she rounded up all his papers and removed them to the file cabinet, replacing the mess of documents with her briefcase before unclasping Mary from her carrier. "I'll need you to watch the baby—" she added, hastily handing the cooing bundle to him.

"You…what?" Robert gazed at her confusedly, trying to stop Mary from pulling on his tie as he frowned at his wife. "Cora—what are you doing?" he asked, after receiving no response.

She looked up and smiled, organizing the stacks of paper that she'd already removed from her briefcase. "I told you. I'm going to finish off the tax preparations."

"But, why?"

"Well, after I woke up and fed Mary her breakfast, I realized that you hadn't been home last night—"

"—Cora, I assure you I was here all—"

She rolled her eyes and held up a hand, quieting him before continuing, "—darling, I know you were here. But it has been two weeks now, and I've not seen my husband properly in that span of time. I know you think the job should be yours, though I hasten to remind you it was your mother who fired the last two tax consultants, but this is obviously not your strong suit. I've managed this sort of thing in the past with my parents' company, and I'm going to finish all this so we can have some proper time together."

Robert frowned, as if weighing his possible responses. Mary, though, was already quite a handful, and screeched loudly, interrupting his thoughts. "Cora—"

She didn't look up this time, and instead gestured to the door with a handful of paperwork. "Darling, I can't concentrate with Mary here. You should take her to the park. Come back in a few hours and we'll all have lunch together.

"But I—"

Mary squealed once more, having successfully latched onto his tie, and then hit his shoulder several times with her tiny balled up fist. Sighing in defeat he nodded at his daughter, who had no idea what her parents were discussing, and said, "alright then, my little darling, to the park we go."

Father and daughter left to the sounds of Cora calling out for a secretary and the two assistants to help her "sort through the rubble."

* * *

Robert stood in front of the swing, pushing Mary back and forth. Her little face glowed with excitement each time he pushed her just a bit higher, or made a silly face at her. Standing out in the fresh air, focusing only on Mary, the weariness that had hung over him began to loosen its grip.

It wasn't that he minded Cora helping out in the office. He was very glad each time she offered to host client dinners or office parties; those sorts of things were certainly not his forte and she always pulled them off with ease. But something like this was supposed to be easy for him. He had, after all, been groomed for the job. So for Cora to sweep in and dismiss him without much explanation upset him more than he was necessarily willing to admit. What bothered him most, though, was that she was entirely right to do so. He had been pouring over the tax materials for weeks now to no avail. After unceremoniously dismissing two assistants hired for the very job, his mother had insisted he do it himself so that it would not be botched. He couldn't seem to admit to her either, though, that it was far beyond his capabilities. Management he could do. Meeting with clients to assess issues and complaints was a particular strength of his. But all the intricacies of the numbers and documents were often lost on him.

"Pa-pa!"

Mary's elated voice interrupted his thoughts, and he realized the swing had slowed to a near stop. Picking up his wiggling daughter, Robert pressed a kiss to her forehead and then deftly strapped her back into the carrier that had been loosely hanging from his chest. She cooed loudly and kicked her feet happily, turning up to grin at him.

"Hello, my little darling," he answered conversationally. "Do you think your Papa is useless too?"

She nodded happily in reply, exclaiming, "Pa-pa!" once more before turning her attention to the little dog being walked past the entrance of the park.

* * *

Robert had intended to be back to the office by lunchtime to return Mary to her mother and insist that Cora let him finish his work. But after taking what was supposed to be a quick detour home with Mary, it was late afternoon by the time the elevator opened onto the floor where Grantham Property Management resided.

Mary wore a fresh romper after an unfortunate incident back at the house. Robert had learned the hard way that his little darling no longer enjoyed strained peaches, carrots or any form of yogurt. But she did, much like her Papa, rather enjoy tea biscuits. It had, unfortunately, taken roughly three hours for this discovery to be made, however, and almost half as long to re-dress Mary in fresh clothing—something he discovered to be even more of a Sisyphean task than feeding her had been.

All his time alone with Mary had only conspired to make Robert feel more inept. Not only could he not perform his duties at work, he could not properly care for his daughter without hours of leeway either. So by the time he and Mary—who had yet again nearly removed his tie—approached his office door, Robert could feel his annoyance about to bubble over.

But then, of course, as was her habit, Cora managed to knock all the fight out of him with just one smile. She looked utterly perfect, stooped over his desk as she chewed thoughtfully on a pencil and glanced at a spreadsheet before her. Her long dark hair had been pulled away from her face and hung gracefully down her back. Turning to the assistant beside her, she gave a few short assertive directions before the sound of Mary's coos alerted her to their presence in her doorway.

"My darlings!" she exclaimed, dropping the papers onto the desk and quickly walking over to greet them both with a kiss. "I expected you both sooner, but to be honest I lost track of time." Cora removed Mary from her carrier and set her down on the floor, handing her a small stuffed toy that Robert always kept on his desk for Mary's visits. She gurgled happily and set about chewing on the little rabbit right away.

"Did you?" Robert managed a smile, though he was more focused on the curve of Cora's waist in her skirt as she sauntered back toward the desk and picked her papers back up. He cleared his throat and them smiled kindly at the assistant who left them in peace a moment later, offering to make the copies Cora needed.

Watching as she sat down behind his desk, Robert suddenly felt rather warm. Cora hummed in thought as she flipped through what looked like that last few pages of a report before looking back up and offering him another dazzling smile as he took the seat at the opposite side of the desk.

"You know, darling, I had forgotten how much I enjoyed doing this sort of thing. It's been so long since I've been out of the house properly. And now that Mary's nearly a year old, perhaps I can come in and help more."

Robert nodded dumbly, only half-listening to his wife. For, midway through her sentence she had leaned back and was now reclined against his chair, an expression of utter contentment written across her face. He couldn't help the flashes of imaginings that suddenly seemed to take hold: Cora directing him around the office, Cora reclined in his chair, Cora loosening his tie, Cora…and his desk. Suddenly it was more than boiling in the office.

"Well, perhaps you could come in tomorrow—" Robert managed, suddenly rather excited at the prospect of sharing his office with Cora for an entire day. "—We could get the babysitter for Mary."

"That sounds lovely, darling, but I'm nearly finished with all the tax paperwork."

"…Finished?"

Cora nodded proudly, handing him a manila envelope filled neatly with paperwork. "Here's the final report. It'll be entirely finished once I get those copies."

"Oh. Well, I suppose I won't be needing your services tomorrow," Robert joked, flipping through the file as images of his wife lying atop his desk flipped through his mind.

Cora only smiled. "Darling, you look rather flushed," she ventured after a pause.

"Do I?"

"Mhmm, you do."

Robert only shrugged, and was quickly pulled out of his reverie by a tug on his trouser leg.

"Pa-pa, up," Mary insisted, holding two chubby arms out at him.

Begrudging his tiny daughter's insistent request, he scooped her up and pressed a kiss to her cheek, sighing almost imperceptibly.

"Well, since you're almost done, would you like to go out to dinner? Just you, me…and Mary?" Robert smiled at his wife and tried to stop Mary from her attempts at climbing over to her Mama.

"That sounds lovely, darling. Let's call it a celebratory dinner." She rolled her eyes indulgently at Mary and reached out to take her.

"—If you want to celebrate properly, I could take Mary for the night," came a voice from behind him. Robert turned, meeting the mirthful expression of his sister who leaned against the doorframe with a stack of paperwork in her arms.

"Rosamund! Whatever are you doing here?" Robert stood to greet his sister who pecked him on both cheeks and then handed Cora the large pile of work.

"—I called for reinforcements," Cora interrupted, and Rosamund nodded in agreement.

"You know I am quite good with numbers, brother dear." Rosamund grinned and turned her attention to her baby niece, extracting her from Cora's arms and bouncing her up and down, much to Mary's delight.

"That you are," he allowed. "But are you sure you want to take Mary? She can be a handful at bedtime."

"Quite sure. Go enjoy yourselves. I'm meeting Mama for lunch and I can drop her back home on my way tomorrow." Rosamund smiled once more at the baby, dropping kisses onto her little forehead and hugging her close.

"Well, if you're offering, we certainly won't refuse," Cora answered happily. She snapped the file folder closed and reached onto the floor for her briefcase, before reaching for her husband's arm. "Shall we, then?"

Robert nodded and smiled, mouthing a "thank you" to his sister as both he and Cora kissed Mary goodnight and managed to leave the office without any sort of tantrum from their little darling.

"Do we have time to go home and change before you take me out to celebrate my brilliance?" Cora asked, leaning just a bit closer to him as they rode the elevator down to the bottom floor.

As the elevator dinged open, though, and she walked out before him, her hips still swaying most alluringly in her work ensemble, Robert shook his head and grinned impishly, catching up to her and stealing a quick kiss. "Leave them on," he replied. "I rather like the new look."


End file.
